Bean-snipping machine.



W. L. SGHRODER.

BEAN SNIPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FBBJZ, 1907..

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

nvenfoo @Wammes c KQ/@Kw @5i l j w Snug? W. L.` SUHRODER.

BEAN SNIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 213.12.. 1907.

Patented NOV. 10, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. L. SGHRODER. BEAN SNIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 11:12.12, 1907,

1,115,930. l l Patented N0v.10,1914

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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yUNITED sTTEs PATENT oEEroE. WALTER L. seHRonEn, or wrNNEcoNNE, WISCONSIN, AssIeNoR To'THE PHINNEY ENGINEERING oomraNy, or' cHILLIcoT-HE, omo, A conroNATroN or oHIo.

BEAN-SNIPFING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

To all@ whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, WALTER L. SGHRonER, a citizen. of the United States of America', residing at Winneconne, -in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bean-Snippin Machines, of whlch the following 'is a speci cation.-

This invention relates to'improvements 1n vmachines, that are adapted to sever or remarily for removing the ends of bean-pods,

the machin@ as to details lmay. be modified for other analogous uses.

Amachine made in accord with my invention includ-es as a art thereof a hollow cylinder, the wall aving a ertures therethrough into which objects rom which it 1s desired to remove a definite quantity from each end are fed, such objects being movable in the apertures to extend beyond the faces of the cylinder and engage cutters or yknives that sever the. projecting ends, the cylinder being movable tol bring the objects in line with the sphere of action ofthe knives.. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a machine embodying my invention, the same being designed for removing snippets from the ends of the pods of beans. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 yis an end elevation. Fig; 4' is a vertical section, of a art of the machine. Fig. 5

is a longitudlnal section taken vertically' through the cylinder. Fig.. 6 is a sectional view taken to one side of the funnels. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the object carrying cylinder and its cutters. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of one of the transverse plates of the conveyer. Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the object-carrying cylinder with a modilied form Iof cutters and object retaining plates, and Fig. 10 is a. longitudinal section of a part of the cylinder and adjacent parts.

The operative parts of the machine are supported by a suitably constructed frame 11, such frame having bearings for the shafts of rolls about which passes an endless l conveyerv 12 the frame also having bearings for a( driven shaft 13. The shaft 13 has a sprocket-wheel about which passes a chain to turn the sprocket-wheel that is fast upon the shaft of one of the rolls of the conveyer. Each of the side sections of the supporting frame have secured thereto cylindrical car rying rings 14, such rings having flanges 15 that extend inward and carry a hollow cylinder 16 to maintain such'cyhnder in a horiz ontal-position in line with the upper surface of the conveyer.

The hollowylinder 16 may be made u of a series of disks or rings which are bo ted together and the distance between the inner and outer' walls is somewhat greater thanthe= length of the objects to be carried thereby. The wall of thecylinder. has therethrough longitudinal rows ofv apertures or holes 1-7 the diameter `of the apertures being 'somewhat greater than that of the objects to be received therein, for in use the objects. fed into the apertures or perforations are movable therein as the cylinder is revolved, the objects shifting their position by gravit so that one end will be presented to a knifse7 or cutter adjacent to the inner surface of the lcylinder the other end of the object being subsequently` presented to another knife or cutter adjacent to the outer face'of the cylinder, the knives removing from the objects a definite quantity irrespective of the length of the object, the amountiremoved from the body being determined by the position of gage-plates upon which the objects rest as the hollow cylinder is revolved.

In this machine for snipping beans, there is present above the endless conveyer'12 a series of ,longitudinal slats or bars 20,' such slats being triangular in cross section and spaced apart so that the beans will engage the conveyer between the slats and travel in rows toward the cylinder. The slats 20 are each secured at one end to a cross piece 21 that is fastened to the upward extending sides 22 that'are fastened to the' longitudinal bars of the fra-me, and the ends of the slats 20 nearest the cylinder 16 are attached to an apron or curved plate 23 lso plate 23 has a certain degree of resiliency and the beans are carried by the conveyer onto the plate 23 into the s outs or funnels 24; passing from the funne s into the apertures or perforations 17 through the wall of the cylinder 16.

To provide an intermittent .feed or means for holding back the beans upon the continuously moving conveyer, the side pieces 22 are provided with swinging plates 25 the lower edge of such plates being serrated to overlie the slats and the surface of the conveyer between the slats. The plates 25 are connected'to each other by a bar 26 and one of the plates has side arms 27, the arms being connected to a lever 28 which is moved by a crank on the shaft 13. When the cylinder is' at rest the plates 25 willbe vertical and during the rotation of the cylinder the'y are inclined so that the beans may pass beneath the plates. The gearing is organized so that the shaft 13 will make one complete revolution for each movement of the cylinder, the c linder being advanced a distance equal to t e distance between the longitudinal lines of apertures 17. The-construction provides means whereby the beans upon the.

part of the conveyer beyond the swinging plate that is nearest the cylinderare fed into the funnelsv and therefrom into the -al crture's through the walls'ofthe cylinder w ile the cylinder is at rest.

Thehollow cylinder 16 has at one or both ends ratchet-disks 29, the teeth .thereon be` ing in the path of a pawl or pawls 30 that are attached to a lever or levers- 31, the levers are raised by cranks 32, on the shaft 13, to turn the cylinder one -step forward for each revolution of the drive shaft the turning movement of .the cylinder ceasing as soon as a longitudinal line of object carrying apertures is below lthe discharge ends of the funnels..

within the hollow cylinder 16 there ist` gage-plate 33 upon which the ends of the beams will rest when fed into the apertures 17, and -within the cylinder there is a knife 34 its cutting edge lying close 'to the upper face of the inner surface of the cylinder, the gage and knife serve as aprons which prevent the beans passing from the apertures into the cylinder. The outer side of the cylinder is partially covered b a gageplate 35 and by a knife 36. he gageplates and the knives or cutters may be attached to the fixed cylinder supportingrings, and onel form of gage plates and cutters is shown by Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings. The'gage plates and the knives,

when constructed as shown bygFigs. 1, 2, 3,|f

and 7, may be attached to movable arms 37 and 38, (see Fig. 7) which cross each other, the arms being opened 4and closed by links 40 attached to the arms 37 and 38 and to a vertically movable frame 39. The central depending member of frame 39 mayv rest upon or be attached to a cam or camsfll on the shaft 13, and as the frame is lifted by the cam the knives or cutters carried by that have been severed by the\cutte rs or knives will fall from the gage-plates. T knives' or cutters operate below the vertical apertures through the cylinder. A trough or chute 18 is attached either tothe frame 11 or to the ixed rings, the ipurpose ofsuch trough being to receive the snippets which would otherwise be liable to lodge in the apertures or perforations through the lower side of the cylinder, and if desired there may be supported below the cylinder a receptacle or chute 19 to repeive the snippets that'are removed by the lknives or cutters at the lower side .-or outer face of the cylinder. To one' side of the center of the cylinder the frame may have receptacle 44 for the reception of the beans or other objects from which the ends have been removed. In a machine for snipping string-beans, the beans are placed upon the endless earrier and the forward movement of the carrier in connection with the fixed slats move the beans forward in longitudinal rows, the beans that have been carried beyond the hold-back-plates are delivered into the funnels or spouts passing therefrom into the line of apertures below the funnels andto one s ide of the vertical center of the cylinder. The apertures through the cylinder are both longer and of. greater diameter than the beans, and when the beans are fed thereto they rest upon the gage-plate that is maintained adjacent to the inner face of thecylinder. The cylinder being moved by the upward movement of the pawl brings the line of apertures and the beans that have been fed therein over the center of the cylinder, and the knives or cutters sever the projecting ends from the beans. The beans from which one `of the ends have been removed -are carried by the cylinder, and as the 'same is turned the beans will fall to the opposite ends of the apertures and rest upon either thevgage-plate or the knifejthat is 5 maintained adjacent to the outer face of the cylinder, and after the other ends have been severed the body portion .of the beans with both ends snipped t erefrom will fall. from the cylinder when t e apertures are moved beyond th'e'end of the knife pr cutter. In use the gages may be set to allow different quantities or lengths to project beyond the faces of the cylinder, so that the ends severed by the different knives will not necessarily be the same.

The machine illustrated may be varied as I to construction of the parts andthe number of apertures and the size thereof may be variedto suit the purpose for which the machine 1s. to be used, and the use of my invention is not limited solely to cutting oif the ends of beans, for instance the essential features of my invention may be embodied in a machine for cutting the heads and the tails from fish, and for ,other purposes where it is desired to lremove definite quantities from objects that vary as to length.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters-Patent, is:

I. The combination in a device of thecharacter set forth, of a rotatably supported hollow cylinder that is provided with longitudinal and circumferential series of object receiving apertures, and cutters operatively maintained adjacent to both the inner and v` outer surfaces of the cylinderV for the purpose of severing both ends from objects carried` by the cylinder.

2. In a device of the character set forth, -a rotatable hollow cylinder provided therethrough with both circumferential and longitudinally arranged object receiving' apertures, supporting and actuating means adjacent to the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder for the cylinder, means for limiting movement of-objects when in the apertures, and cutters operatively maintained adjacent to the inner and outer faces' ofthe cylinder for successively severingfthe ends from objects.

3. In a device of the character set forth, a suitably maintained hollow body having a -plurality of object receiving apertures therethrough, means for imparting an intermittent rotary movement to said hollow body, means for supportingobjects partially Within the apertures and means for severing from the objects' the ends that project be yond the surfaces of the hollow body.

4. In a device of the character described, a hollow cylinder having object receiving apertures therethrough, means for rotating intermittently the cylinder, meansfor holding objects partially within the apertures, and cutters maintained adjacent tothe inner and outer faces of the cylinder.

5. In a device of the character set forth, aI hollow cylinder having radially arranged apertures through its Wall, means for intermittently rotating the cylinder, knives or cutters`- maintained concentric to the inner and outerfacesof the cylinder, and gageplates to limit' the movement and projection of objects carried by the cylinder. f.

cylinder, gage-plates maintained beyond the 6. In a device of the character described,

adjacent to the inner and outer walls of the cylinder ,for the purpose 'of severing t-he ends from the objects that are fed into the apertures of the cylinder, substantially as show n.v

8. Ina machine for the purpose set forth, a suitably supported object carryin cylinder having radial apertures theret rough, means for feeding objects into apertures formed through said cylinder, the object feeding means having a continuous movement, means for intermittently turning the cylinder, means for limiting the projection of the ends of objects when inthe apertures through the cylinder beyond the inner and outer Walls of the cylinder, cutters arranged adjacent tothe inner and outer walls of the cylinder and a chute within the cylinder, for the purpose set forth.

9. In a machine for the purpose set forth, a continuously moving carrier, means for retarding the travel of objects placed thereon, spouts maintained to receive objects from` the carrier and an intermittently moved cylinder -having object Y receiving apertures therethrough, positioned so that the apertures may be brought in line with the discharge ends of the spouts, gage or stop plates maintained beyond the vinner and outer faces of the cylinder, and cutters operatively arranged adjacent to the inner and outer faces of the cylinder and in ,closer proximity to the surfaces of the vcylinder than the gage plates, substantially as shown.

10. In a machine for the purpose set forth,

an endless carrier, spo-nts into which objects are delivered by the carrier and an intermittently turned hollow cylinder having longitudinal rows of object receiving aper-l tures therethrough, means for limitlng the projection of the objects beyond the walls `of thecylinder and cuttersmaintained adjacent to the inner and outer faces of the cylinder the cutters being arranged to sever both ends from the objects while carried by the cylinder.

11. In a device of the character set forth, o

an endless object carrier having a plurality of open ended object receiving apertures therethrough, means operatively connected with the object carrier to change by avity the position of the objects carried t ereby, `means for limiting the movement of objects placed in the apertures beyond the ends of the apertures, and cutters adjacent to lthe inner and outer faces of the endless carrier.

12. In a device of the character set forth, an endless carrier having object receiving apertures therethrough, means for feeding objects into the apertures, means for limiting theprojection of the objects beyond the faces of the carrier and cutters for removing from the objects both of the end portions that project beyond the endless carrier.

13. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination of a movable object carrier, cutters maintained adjacent to the object carrier, means operatively connected with the object carrier for moving the same to effect by gravity a change of the position of theobjects carried thereby to present the opposite ends of the objects to the cutters for alternately severing the ends from the objects While in engagement with the object carrier.

14. In a device of the character set forth,

a movable object carrier, cutters maintained in operative relation to the object carrier, andv means for` eiiecting movement of the objectcarrier to change by gravity the position of the objects carried thereby; such change of position of the carrier presenting opposite ends of the objects to diferent cutters to cut from the objects the opposite end portions. 15. In a machine of the character set forth, an endless object carrier, means operlatively connected with the object carrier to move the same so that objects carried thereby will have imparted thereto by reason of a change of position of thevcarrier `a movement independent of the carrier, and'means for successively severing the opposite ends from -the objects While said objects are in engagement With the object carrier.

16. In a device for the purpose set forth, a movable object carrier constructed to maintain a plurality of objects, supporting and actuating means for the carrier organized to effect by gravity a longitudinal change of the position of the objects with respect to the carrier, means for limiting the movement of the objects, and cutters maintained in the different paths of the objects for successively severing the end portions therefrom.

17. In a machine of the character set forth, a movable object carrier having a plurality of object carrying compartments such carrier beingmounted so that the position of the objects carried thereby Will be changed by movement of the object carrier, cutters positioned in proximity to the ends of the compartments for removing both ends,

from the objects and means for limiting the presented to the cutters, and means for.

limiting the projection of the objects beyond the carrier. 1

19. A machine for the purpose set forth, comprisingy an endless carrier having a plurality of open ended chambers, means for actuating the carrier to effect a change of the position of objects in thevaforesaid cham` bers and the projection of the ends of the objects beyond the chambers of the carrier,

cutters for removing the end portions from the intermediate part of the objects While the major portions of said objects are Within the chambers and means for limiting the movement of the objects toward the cutters, whereby both ends of the objects will be removed from the objects While they are in engagement with the carrier.

20. A machine for the purpose set forth, comprising an endless object carrier having a plurality of object receiving compartments, said object carriers being mounted onv horizontal axes, means for changingthe position of the carrier upon its axes so that objects fed into the compartments Will change their position and be projected beyond the carrier, means in different horizontal planes for limiting the movement of the objects beyond the carrier and cutters in the Vpaths of the 4projected ends of the objects such cutters being adapted to sever the end portions from the objects.

21. In a string bean snipping machine, the combination of a carrier for a plurality of beans, means changing the position of the carrier upon its axes to change the position of the beans with respect to the carrier, a cutteroperatively maintained to sever one of the lend portions from the beans during the travel of the carrier, a second cutter for severing the opposite ends from the beans, and

means beyond the carrier and the cutters for limiting the projection of the beans beyond the carrier.

22. In a bean snipper, the combination with a rotatable drum comprising internal radial pockets, of cutter blades arranged adjacent to both ends of said pockets, and means for feeding string beans into said pockets.

23. In a device of the character set forth,

'the combination with amovable object carrier comprising a plurality of pockets which 1,1.-1egaao are. of greater area longitudinally than transversely, ofcutter blades arranged adjacent to both ends of said pockets, and means for feeding objects which have a 5 greater length than diameter into said pockets.

24. Ina device of the character set forth, the combination with a movable carrier having in line with its axis; object receiving pockets, of cutter ,blades arranged adjacent feeding objects into said-pockets.

25. A machine for snipping beans comprising a carrier, means for projecting the ends of the beans beyond the carrier successively in opposite directions, andl means for removing the projecting ends of the beans.

26. A machine for removing snips from 2o string-beans, comprising in combination, a

movable carrier, means for actuating the carrier, means for feeding string-beans to.

maintai ed in line with the paths in which, the end portions of the beans move `when maintained by the carrier, the parts being organized to successively snip oppositeends.

from the beans.

28. In a machine oi the character set forth, a movable carrier having a plurality of compartments adapted to receive and carry string-beans in movable engagement with thecompartments, means for supplying string-beans to the compartments, means for moving the carrier to change the posirelative tothe carrier for removing rst one end and then the other end from the -beans While the major portion of the beans are in the compartments.

29. In a device for snipping string-beans, a movable carrier havinga plurality of receptacles in which string-beans may move longitudinally when the carrier is moved, means for moving the carrier, means for feeding beans into the 'ifeoeptacles of the carrier, means for retaining and limiting the'longitudinal movenie'ntof the beans in the receptacles, and cutters maintained in such relation to the receptacles and to the retaining and limiting means 'as to cut the opposite'end portions from the beans.

30. In a bean snipping machine, the combination with a movable carrier constructed to provide a plurality of receptacles for u beans, of means for moving the carrier to to both ends of the pockets, and means for tion of the string-beans, means maintainedv position the ends of the beans beyond the receptacles, means forfeeding beans to the receptacles, means' for limiting the movement of the beans the receptacle, a cutter mamtained to sever one of the ends from beans during movement' of the carrier and another cutter vthat severs' the otherends `from the beans 'operating upon` further movement of the carrier.

31. In a string bean snipper, the combina- 'tion with a pair of supports, of a device for maintaining one end of a bean against one lsupportand movable to effect the shifting of the bean from said support to the other support with the opposite end of the bean resting against the last named support, and cutters arranged to operate on the'supporting end of the bean on each support.

32.- In a string bean snipper, the combination with a pair of supports, of a guide for directing a bean to one of said supports with one end of the bean resting on the support, the guide being movable to shift the bean to the-other support with the opposite end of the bean resting against the latter support, and cuttersarranged for operation on the supportingends of a bean.

33. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier adapt- -ed to receive an article to be trimmed and having an opening, a cutter which is arranged adjacent to said opening and past which said article is moved by said carrier and the end of the article is severed by the movement of the carrier past said cutter, and means movable relatively to said carrier for confining thearticle for a time in said carrier during the cutting operation but permitting the escape of the severed portion after the cutting operation.

34. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier adapted to receive an article to be trimmed and having an outlet, means for moving said carrier so that its outlet is depressed, a cutter arranged at the de ressed end of the outlet for severing the t1p of said article in the carrier, and means for confining the body of said article in said carrier but permitting the escape therefrom of the severed 115 135. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier having a pocket provided, withy outlets at its opposite ends and adapted to receive an 120 article to be trimmed, means for moving the carrier so that the outlets of its pocket are depressed alternately, cutters for severing the tips at opposite ends of said article in the pocket, and means for confining the body of saidarticle in said pocket but permitting the escape therefrom of the severed tips.

36. In a machine ,of the character described, the combination of a carrler havp, article in said pocket.

' of said article in the carrier toward the de-l ing a pocket provided with outlets at its opposite ends and adapted to receive an article to be trimmed, means for moving the carrier so that the outlets of its pocket are depressed alternately, cutters arranged at the depressed ends ofthe pocket for severing the tips at opposite ends of said article in the pocket, and means for confining the body of said article in said Pocket but permitting the escape therefrom of the severed ti s.

E57. In a machine of the charaCter described, the combination of a carrier having a pocket provided with outlets at its opposite ends and adapted to receive the article to be trimmed, means for moving said carrier so as to cause the article in the pocket to slide toward its depressed end by gravity, means for limiting the movement of said article toward the depressed end of the pocket, and means for trimming .off that tip of the article which has been depressed.

38. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier having a pocket provided with outlets at its opposite ends and adapted to receive the article to be trimmed, means for moving said carrier so as to cause the outlets of the pocket to be alternately arranged lowermost and the article therein to .slide successively in opposite directions therein toward the d epressed ends of the pocket, means for limiting the movement of said article in the pocket toward the depressed ends thereof,"

and means for trimming oil' the tips of the 39. In a machine of the character 4described, the combination of a carrier adapted to receive an article to be trimmed and provided with an outlet, means for moving said carrier forwardly, means for tilting said carrier so that the outlet end thereof is depressed, means for limiting the movement pressed end thereof, means for severing that tip of said article which has been depressed, and means for moving said limiting means out of the path of said article after the tip has been severed therefrom to tip to escape.

40. In a machine of the character described,.the combination of a carrier adapted to receive an article to b e trimmed and provided with an outlet, means forlimiting the movement of said article in the carrier permit said toward said outlet, means for severing that tip of said article adjacent to said outlet, means for movin said limiting means out of the path of said article after the tip has been seve'red therefrom to permit said tip to escape, and means for preventing the escape of the body of'said article while said limiting means are shifted to permit the escape of said tip.

41. In a machine of the character described, the combination -of a carrier adapted to receive an article to be trimmed and having an outlet, means for moving said car- -severed 1by said cutter and while the carrier is still in its tilted position.

42. In 4a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier adapted to receive an 4article to be trimmed and having-an outlet, means for moving said carrier forward, and also tilting the same, a cutter arranged at the depressed end of said carrier and adapted to sever the tip from the bodygof said article, means for llmiting the movement of said article toward the depressed outlet beforethe carrier reaches said cutter, and a retaining plate which is arranged in rear of the cutter in position to be engaged. by the trimmed article while the carrier is still in a tilted position.

43. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a carrier having a pocket provided with outlets at its opposite ends and adapted to receive an article to be trimmed, means for propelling said successively toward opposite ends of the pocket, means for limiting the movement of said article toward the depressed ends of the pocket, and means for severing the ends of said article at the depressed ends of the pocket, said means which limit the movement of. the article in the pocket the second time being constructed to clear said article after the end of the same has been severed and While the pocket is still in its second position.

44. In amachine for treating articles, an

article receiving pocket in which the article is longitudinally movable, means to move said pocket to a plurality of positions and cause the article carried thereby to move successively in opposite directions therein 'with portions of. its opposite ends proj ectino' alternately beyond opposite-ends of said pocket, means for treating one end of said articlewhile projecting beyond one end of said pocket and for treating the opposite,

end of said article when the last mentioned end projects beyond the, other end of said pocket.

45. In a machinefor treating articles, an article receiving carrier in which the article is movablelongitudinally, means for causing' is moved to the corresponding opposite end the article to move successively toward opof the carrier. posite ends of said carrier, means for treating one end of said article when moved to WALTER Lf SCHRODER 5 the corresponding end of the carrier and for Witnesses:

'treatin the opposite end of said article F. E. BARD,

when t e last mentioned end of the latter J. E. KEYES. 

